St. Landry democrat., 1887-10-01

country were driven out of house and
home week ago by what became as in
tolerable as one Of the plagdes of Egypt.
Inc dwelling had been occupied by SER
wants and "cleaned' by them during the
absence OF the other occupants at a
gay watering place. They were
brought home by the early advent
of cool weather. but this was followed
by warm days which developed an un-
precedented visitation. Swarms of mi
mute insects crept out from carpets,
blankets, beds, everywhere that could
afford lodgment for them, and allowed
no rest by day or night. The result
was that the major part of the family
had to seek shelter in a hotel, and a
friend was sent for who found the heart
OF the mystery in the cellar 1t had evil
IDENTIFY not been cleaned in wears and was
simply infested with heas. They had
gradually penetrated to different parts of
the house, and the unusual heat of the
past summer had multiplied them. The
surface sweeping and wiping, which in
the absence Of supervision stands for
cleaning with the majority of our hired
help, did not dislodge them. They were
left in undisturbed possession until the
return of a congcnial temperature and
the presence of human bodies upon
which to bask and batten brought them
out of their seclusion.
No half measures at this stage pre-
vailed or would have answered the pur-
pose. The cellar received for once
thorough renovation, all carpets and por-
there's had to be taken up or taken down
and treated with naphtha, ami beds,
blankets, floors, walls and every part of
the dwelling submitted to thorougA puri-
fication. In another house when the
lady head of it came home from
European trip and proceeded to clean
and set things to rights she found on
taking up her parlor carpets that they
dropped to pieces. They were fairly rid
died with moths, and SO was the clothing
which had been left carelessly hanging
in the closets.
A young lady visitor in a very fine
house one day took down from the I'M
used and ttle-disturbed book-shelyes a
volume for reference. She took it to her
room, opened it, and discovered, closely
shut in between its leaves, an unmen-
tionable insect, supposed to haunt tene-
ment-house bedrooms, but not known in
polite society. She hastily closed it in
again and restored the book to its place,
afraid to risk its escape in attempting to
capture it, but resigning all further in
vestigations of literary character in
that quarter.
We talk great deal about cleanliness
nowadays. We take it for granted that
we are great way ahead of preceding
generations and races in this respect,
but the facts will not bear out this as
sumption. There is more knowledge of
sanitary law, more science is put into the
constructive mechanism of our houses,
and public opinion has been created
which demands obedience to certain gen.
eral principles that underlie the appli-
cation of modern improved methods to
household uses. But the spirit of accu-
mutation and the love of ease have
grown as fast and side by side with i'm
proved mechanism and modern ideas;
and instead of doing the thing which
should be done it is left for some one
else to do it, and does not get done at all.
The demand for luxurious appoint
ments in cars, stages, stations, and pub
lie conveyances and accommodations of
all kinds is fruitful cause of the dis
tribution of pests-and the neglect of
thorough cleanliness, incessant beating,
scalding, drenching with powerful rene
dies and disinfectants is the price that
must be paid for safety, for immunity
from loathsome risks. Great cities like
New York are not the only dangerous
localities A short time ago a young
lady left a trunk for three days at the
station of an inland city. When she at
last sent for it the inside and outside
were infested with verniin. Heroic
measures were resorted to, but, despair
ing of complete cure, it was given away
to the ash-cart man. There is not only
a want of surveillance in the superin-
tendents, and those who have charge of
public places of travel, waiting and re-
sort--but there is want of knowledge
of practical measures of what to do to